Give in to fermentation at Festival!

Posted: 13 November 2017

At Edinburgh International Science Festival we are fascinated by fermentation, the magical process that creates a whole host of foodie delights.

It is a chemical process by which microorganisms, like bacteria and yeast, break down substances into simpler ones. Fermentation can make products more digestible, create improved texture and aroma, destroy undesirable flavours, increase storage life, turn what might otherwise be agricultural waste into tasty products, replenish intestinal microflora and even reduce flatulence!

Humans have been experimenting with fermentation since Neolithic times. We started with beer and moved on to breads, cheeses, yogurt, pickles and a wealth of other foods and alcoholic drinks.

At Festival!we’ll go back to the beginning with Miracle Brew, an interactive exploration – complete with tasters – of the history, nature and science of beer, the drink that helped give birth to civilisation.

Or, if you’re more of a curd nerd, you’ll be in good company with The Cheese Chap blogger Patrick McGuigan and dairy technologist Paul Thomas, at Cheeseology, a 2017 Edinburgh International Science Festival sell-out. Join them to embark on a tutored tasting journey through the science of cheese, discovering the processes and often-innovative technologies that create its many delicious varieties.